Wednesday, July 23, 2014

M&M's

Most of the story ideas I get for this blog come from observing every day life. I like to see how God presents Himself in the world in which we live. In effect, He speaks to us in many different ways, if we'd only take the time to look or listen.

God usually speaks to us through His Word But He can also speak to us through the people we meet or through the songs we sing to Him. And sometimes, God can even speak to us through . . . tee-shirts.

I took the picture above of my friend Daniel and his buddy (wearing the red tee-shirt) at Lifest a few weeks ago. I wasn't really thinking about writing a story at the time. I was just taking a picture of a friend. But I did take the time , for some unknown reason, to take a picture of this guys tee-shirt as well. You see, I absolutely love M&M's. Especially peanut M&M's! The only trouble is, M&M's don't really like me.

You see, I am a Type II diabetic. My blood sugar level tends to be higher than most. We Type II diabetics control our blood sugar by watching what we eat and/or by taking medication. Type I diabetics are those who must use insulin to control their blood sugar. Sadly, I am nearing the Type I threshold myself and it won't be long before I need the insulin injections but until that time I am supposed to watch what I eat.

My wife keeps watch on my diet when I am home but while I am at work I am on my own. There have been times - quite a FEW times - when I have strayed off my low-sugar regimen and gone upstairs to visit my friend Sharon. Sharon's a nice lady. You'd never guess that she is an accessory to murder. Well, sort of.

This is a picture of Sharon's office and that's Sharon in the pink shirt. Besides all the paperwork on her desk, Sharon also possesses a small container of poison, at least for the diabetic. Let's take a closer look. Oooh! M&M's!! And peanut M&M's at that!!

M&M's are bad for me. If I were to keep eating them they would lead to my premature death. I suppose I could just forget about the dangers, enjoy myself and just keep eating them, but that would not be good. Doing that would hasten my own death and be contrary to God's will.

M&M's are like sin. They actually are a sin, to me anyway - the sin of gluttony. Over-eating, just because I enjoy it. But they are also like sin in that they lead to death.

So, what am I to do? Well, I need to quit going up to Sharon's office, that's for sure! But more importantly, I need to quit sinning. M&M's are a temptation for me. They are sitting right there. Eat them!! It's just like the Tree of The Knowledge of Good & Evil in the garden of Eden. Off limits!! Yet that fruit looks SO good! And maybe some M&M's for desert!

Let's face it, we all have our "M&M's." The question is, what are we going to do about it. Through our faith in Christ we have power to overcome sin. We are told to examine ourselves in scripture. I have examined myself and have determined that M&M's are bad for me. As much as I like them, they no longer hold power over me and have no place in my life. We need to keep checking ourselves and keep weeding out the things that harm us and seek to control us. Often it is ourselves that is our own worst enemy. We must let go of our earthly desires and seek after God's.

"56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:56-57